A notable part of the movie is that instead of being ugly from the start, the Creature is portrayed as physically beautiful. He becomes more ugly as the movie goes on. The make-up was by Hammer horror veteran artist Roy Ashton.

It was first broadcast in two 90-minute parts. It is often seen edited into a single movie. The first DVDwas released on September 26, 2006. Included at the beginning is a short intro. It has James Mason wandering through St John's Wood churchyard, London. He suggests that this is where Mary Shelley is buried. This is incorrect as she is in fact buried in the family plot in Dorset. The intro shows Mason standing beside a gravestone bearing her name.